


Rejection

by unknowableroom_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-02-08
Updated: 2009-02-08
Packaged: 2019-01-19 15:44:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12413148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unknowableroom_archivist/pseuds/unknowableroom_archivist
Summary: He's never been rejected like this...





	Rejection

**Author's Note:**

> Note from ChristyCorr, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Unknowable Room](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Unknowable_Room), a Harry Potter archive active from 2005-2016. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after May 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Unknowable Room collection profile](http://www.archiveofourown.org/collections/unknowableroom).

James Potter had changed. He was sitting on the very top bleacher of the Quidditch stands—in the Slytherin section, surprisingly—and staring out into the night sky. The scarf wrapped around his neck, however, was the same Gryffindor scarf that he'd worn for the last six and a half years, its frayed edges blowing in the crisp November wind. He sighed lightly and pulled off his glasses. He scratched his head and turned to look down at the darkened field. How long had he been here? He had definitely missed dinner, settling for the hunger of wanting something more, to be filled with the food of knowing greatness was just out of his reach...

He had been rejected from the Auror Academy. The letter had arrived three days ago, citing that he "was applying for all the wrong reasons." Alastor Moody had written that, the scratchy—almost wary of the world—writing rejecting him almost too quickly. The fact that Moody had hand-written a letter to him meant that he was worth something; but he, James Potter, should have got in, regardless of what Moody had thought.

_Potter,_

_I know you've wanted this since your aunt and uncle died in this war, but you need to slow down a bit. You're trying to get in by grades alone, and the passion burning within you. You're applying for all the wrong reasons._

_Take a year off. Live a bit, breathe. Go travel with Black—who didn't get in either, I should note—and see something. Sleep with some women from Singapore, but be safe (you know what I mean!). Then come home and dedicate your life to this godforsaken war._

_Alastor Moody_

_P.S. You're cut out for it, son. Your mind just isn't quite there yet._

 

He hadn't stopped thinking since the letter came. He had almost broken something at lunch that day, he had yelled at a first year who had got themselves lost, and he had skipped his favorite class—Transfiguration—to come out here and think.

What was he going to do now? He had banked on that training to be his next step in the line of duty he had promised his father he would take.

He slipped his glasses back on and tightened hiscloak. What was he thinking, coming up here? There were snowflakes drifting towards the ground; the faint moonlight glinted off the delicate white flakes. He began his descent to the Quidditch field. Once he was at the bottom, he picked up a piece of gravel and threw it as hard and as far as he could.

He'd win. He had to.

*

A few days passed and James was sitting at a corner cube in the library, trying to keep his mind on his Transfiguration essay instead of Auror training, where he wished he could be. He had never been so frustrated in his life, at least not with something as important as his career. Pranks, Severus Snape, and Lily Evans suddenly dimmed on his mental chart of things that made him angry. Not that shining green eyes really upset him. They just frustrated him.

He was absorbed in his writing, concentrating on the ways to transfigure poisonous plants into different types of safe foods to eat, when a slim hand ran over his shoulder. Lily Evans plopped down into a chair next to him and stared. He glumly met her eyes for a moment, and then looked back down at his work.

"Did I do something wrong?" Her voice cracked as if she had not spoken for a week. "Did I say something wrong?" She met his eyes, the quiet tears threatening to pool in her eyes. She shyly looked down at her skirt and her hands toyed with a strand of hair that had fallen into her face. "You need to start doing your head duties, though. I've been patrolling by myself for four days now." She raised her eyes again. "I've never been so bored! I've literally been taking my History book and reading it for N.E.W.T.s, as you're not coming..." She trailed off and grinned uneasily. "You know, it's like...we never talked before this year. I've realized I'll miss you next year." She smiled again; this time, it reached her eyes.

He let out a heavy sigh and put down his quill. "Sorry for missing patrols. I just haven't been thinking about things like that."He leaned over and plucked a small feather from her hair. "I got rejected from the Auror Academy." He looked at the dirty brown feather with interest.

It was quiet for a moment, and then she covered his hand with her own. "I'm sorry, James. I know it's—" She paused and squeezed his hand until he looked at her. "I know you've wanted this." She offered him a small smile, which he returned, and then let go; he missed her hand as soon as it left his. He saw more tears pooling in her eyes and he had no idea what they were about now. "I'll see you at patrols tonight, James."

He watched as she stood up, slung her bag back over her shoulder, and slipped out from the confines of her chair. She leaned overthe table to kiss his cheek, and then left without another word. He stared as she left and then returned to his essay. He had things to finish before patrols.

*

When he showed up (at 8:05, to his embarrassment—he had been missing for almost a week and he couldn't arrive on time even once?), she was running her hand through her ponytail and biting her lip warily. Had she thought he wouldn't show up? "Lily Billy!" he exclaimed, his faux happiness ringing through the hallway. "How're you today, love? You're lookin' mighty fine!" He slung his arm over her shoulder and she grinned.

"I'm fine today, darling," she dramatized, wrapping both of her arms around his waist and resting her head on his chest. "I've missed you!" Sighing like not seeing him was the end of her world, she pressed his back lightly, forcing him forward on their trip through the castle. They walked in comfortable silence and, for a bit, James forgot about his lack of a future.

"So, James...What're you going to do now?" Lily asked quietly after a few minutes.

He started thinking about what he could do. Sirius had got an internship with a Healer, Remus couldn't get magical work and had found a job in a Muggle bookstore, and Peter was already helping his dad selling brooms. What _was_ he going to do?

"Um, I didn't really think about that. Probably..." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I dunno. Maybe travel, I guess? I've got nothing else I want to do."

"That's nice." She giggled and skipped towards the portrait entrance to the kitchens. "My parents, well, they..." She let out another giggle and took a deep breath. "They left me some money in a bank account. "And, um." She paused, her eyes shining more brightly than he'd ever seen. Why was she so happy? "Well, it was for uni, but since I'm not going...Well, they said I could do what I wanted with the money. I was actually thinking of travelling."

"That's good. It sounds really fun, you know? Nice? Paris? Venice?" He tickled the pear, unsure why she had stood outside for such a long time without doing so. "I think that'd be a swell time." He started to walk in, but she grabbed the edge of his robe.

"Why didn't you come, James? Was it me? Was it not getting the position?" Her shining eyes pooled with tears again. "I'm sorry. If it was me, I'm sorry. I mean, I don't think it was me...we've been having a really good time. But, then I got to thinking...maybe it was? Maybe you were just tired of being nice to me? Maybe we're not as good friends as I hoped?" She pulled him closer and the portrait slammed shut. "We are, right? We're friends. You like me and I like you. We've been together for almost every single night for the whole year! I mean..." She blushed profusely and let her eyes examine every nook of the hall, never meeting his eyes.

Pulling her in, he breathed in the scent of her hair and hugged her with everything he had. As they pulled away, he leaned down to meet her eyes. "Red, don't ever think I'll be mad at you. You're the nicest friend I've got right now, I think, and I would never willingly let it stop."

She grinned again, her childlike grin melting his heart a bit. "Until the next nice girl comes around, at least, right?" she asked cheekily.

"Absolutely. When I said you were the nicest friend I've got, it's only 'cause of how horrible Sirius, Remus and Peter are. You know, in general." He ushered her into the kitchens and the house-elves swarmed them.

*

"Have you ever noticed," Lily said, placing a spoonful of soup into her mouth, "that Dumbledore is always ready for your pranks? I noticed that once. He always seems to know, and doesn't eat the food or drink the juice or go down _that_ particular hallway. It's like...like...well, like he knows!"

"You know," he said, pointing his own spoon at her, "Sirius thinks the same. But, you and Sirius are both a bit off, you know. I should try not being friends with you for some time."

She stared at him, and the environment around them shifted. "You already left me alone, James." Her eyes were sullen, her voice flat. "I didn't like it at all. I really missed you." Her hand covered his before she let his hand run away from her own.

"I missed you too, darling." He grinned and winked at her. "C'mon, let's get back to the rooms."

They walked back in relative silence; little clips of words came and left.

"Well, love..." he whispered, slipping his arms around her in a loving hug of thanks. "You've made me feel a lot better about not knowing what to do next year."

She grinned, something she had been doing quite a lot that evening. "Good. I've been trying to figure out how to make you smile for the last few days." They parted and went to their own rooms, meeting again to brush their teeth in the joined bathroom. It was a routine they were used to, and both were (more than likely) secretly pleased to see each other right before sleeping. "'Night, James."

"'Night, Lily-love." He scrunched his nose at her affectionately and then left the room to his own. He shut the door lightly behind him and slid under the comforter, waiting to hear her own door shut. He heard it click, and sighed, slipping deeper into his own bed. Then he heard the turn of his own doorknob, and she slipped into his room, shutting the door.

"Hullo, James." She crept closer to him and lifted the edge of his coverlet. "Don't say anything," she said, leaning forward and pressing her lips against his. She crept on the top of him, under the blanket, and continued kissing him, her hands running over his already bare chest. "I think you need to relax a bit." She slipped his bottom lip into her mouth, letting her teeth drag over it.

"Lily, what—" he gasped as she completely ignored what he was saying.

"Can you please stop? Just...everything you are saying needs to end." She gazed into his eyes. "You're always telling me to loosen up..." She looked momentarily unsure and then her eyes burned. "I'm not going to be such a 'fuddy-duddy,' it's boring and...horrible..." She pressed her mouth to his and he suddenly snapped.

"Lily..." He flipped her over and sucked on her neck. His hands slipped to the hem of her t-shirt and he pulled it over her head. She was not wearing a bra, as it was bedtime, and he had never been so happy about it. He slid his hands over her breasts, letting his thumbs slide across her nipples. "Lily, Lily, Lily..." Her name sounded like a prayer when it fell from his mouth. He kissed down her neck, her chest rising and brushing against his collarbone.

His mouth was making her brain stop and she couldn't stop touching him. _Hair, hands, ears, lips, teeth..._ "James," she gasped. "...James." The second name came out as a moan as his lips collapsed around her breast. One hand worked her other breast, the other pressing up between her legs, over her night pants. The pressure was high, her breathing shaky as he licked at her body.

Suddenly, he removed all of his contact with her, aside from the hand between her legs. Her eyes flew open and he looked at her through his deep eyes and whispered something under his breath. She sat up slowly, sliding away from him. She took his hands in her own and tugged forward, pulling him towards her. "James," she whined. "Why'd you stop?"

"Because, Lily, I don't..." He took a breath and let his hand fall to her cheek. "I don't want this to stop. But, I—"

"James Potter," she said sternly. "If you think I'm just doing this to make you stop thinking about that stupid Auror position, then maybe I should leave. Of course, that is what prompted me to come in here, but...there's more to it."

He stared at her, processing what she had said. "So you're saying..." he started slowly. "You're..." He blinked slowly and took a confused breath of air. His eyes searched the wall behind her momentarily before he leaned forward, kissing her hard—harder than before.

She responded immediately and ran her hands down his bare chest and then began to untie his newly tightened sweatpants. Their tongues tangled, making twists and harsh turns that they absorbed in each other's mouths. "Oh...oh God." He pressed her back into the pillows as her hand slipped into his shorts and slid over his hardening member. "Lily...You're serious about this, right?" He nipped up the side of her neck and sucked her earlobe into his mouth.

Yanking his shorts down, she flipped him onto his back. "Can I be in charge for a little bit? This is my idea, and I want to feel like I did something..." She pressed her mouth against his neck and began kissing down his chest. She traced the obvious line of his abs with her tongue and looked up to see his hooded eyes staring at her. She gave an impish grin and then set her mouth around the head of his member.

"Fuck..." he breathed out, clenching her hair in his hands. "Oh God, Lily." His hips pushed forward and he invaded her mouth even more. "Li-ly..."

She pulled away from him and slinked forward, so her mouth was next to his ear, her hips and legs draping over his stomach. "Should I keep going?"

"Yes. No. Yes. Please..." He was panting harshly, obviously unsure what to do. He began to pull down her pants, yanking her knickers down with them. "Oh, Lily, we're going to fuck all night long..."

"Hopefully longer, dear." She gazed into his eyes. "Now, come here, Mr. Potter. This is not going to be too fast..."


End file.
